Means for erecting prefabricated houses and the like



July 21, 1936. A. BUR NS 2,048,537

MEANS FOR ERECTING PREFABRICATED HOUSES AND THE LIKE Filed March 12, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Adele bums gkf w ATTO R N EY A. BURNS 2,048,537 MEANS FOR ERECTING PREFABRICATED HOUSE S AND THE LIKE July 21, 1936.

Filed um; 12, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR Adele Burns BY M July 21, 1936. RN v 2,048,537

MEANS FOR ERECTING PREFABRICATED HOUSES AND THE LIKE Filed March 12, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Adele BUT/2s TIORNEY A. BURNS July 21, 1936.

v MEAflS FOR ERECTING PREFABRICATED HbUSES AND THE LIKE Filed March 12, 1936 4 Shets-Shet 4 INVENTOR ddqle fiurrzs BY 5am ATTORNEY Patented July 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR ERECTING PREFABRICATED HOUSES AND THE LIKE Adele Burns, New York, N. Y. Application March 12, 1936, Serial No. 68,420 12 Claims. (Cl. 72-1) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in the construction of a prefabricated house and the like.

The invention has for an object the construction of a prefabricated house which 'may be erected and taken down any number of times so that it is readily movable from one site to another, or from one city to another.

Theinvention contemplates constructing the house so that the elements thereof are held together in a manner to permit their erection and dismantling without any damage to the house. More specifically, it is contemplated to avoid the use of nails, screws, bolts, or the like.

A further object of the invention is the ar rangement of vertical and horizontal spring clamps, adjustably mounted, so as to be capable of clamping the various elements constituting the house in fixed positions.

Still further the invention contemplates the provision of a foundation for the house (which cannot'be moved) which is provided with receivlng elements to coact with complementary receiving elements on portions of the house by which the house may be readily assembled thereon and dismantled when desired.

A further object of the invention is the construction of a house as described which is simple and durable and which may be manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be 'had to the following description and accompanying drawings, andto the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a small house constructed according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional .view of the house showing the layout of the rooms.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational view looking in the direction of the line 3-3. of Fig. 1-

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged detailed view of the lower left hand corner of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary enlarged detailed view of a portion of Fig. 1 showing in particular the arrangement of the exterior wall.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view looking in the direction of the line Il-ll of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a front elevational view of a portion of Fig. 11, but showing the spring clamp lifted into inoperative position.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary enlarged detailed view of a portion of the spring clamp shown related to certain portions of the exterior wall.

Fig. 15 is a horizontal sectional view taken on 15 the line l5-|5 of Fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a plan view'of a corner column with the spring clamp and wall boards shown in Figs. 14 and 15 in position.

Fig. 17 is an elevational view of a portion of Fig. 1 showing the details at the upper right hand corner of one of the windows.

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary elevational view of the roof portion of the house.

Fig. 19 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of Fig. 18.

Fig. 20 is an elevational view .of a portion of the inside wall of a houseconstructed according to this invention.

Fig. 21 is a sectional view taken on the line 2i2l of Fig. 20. Y Fig. 22 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2222 of Fig. 20.

Fig. 23 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of Fig. 20.

Fig. 24 is a perspective view showing a skeleton and some of the interior of the house.

The prefabricated house, according to this invention may be of any design or type, and of as many rooms as desired. It may be one story, or more. The principle of construction is the same, the arrangement only would differ. The house shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is merely an example of how a house would be constructed according to this invention. The illustration shows a one story house. It is composed of side walls 10, a roof I I, interior walls l2 .which form the several rooms of the house, and other elements not listed in de-. tail. The house is built on a foundation l3 (see Figs. 1 and 3). The foundation, preferably, should be of cast concrete. It is cast to hold a plurality of socket members l5, l6, etc., which are adapted to receive various complementary portions from the house.

At the corners of the house there are vertical pillars or studs l1. Along the sides there are other studs l8, l9, etc. The lower ends of each of these studs are solid and are formed with small projections 20 (see Fig. '3'). These projections are adapted to engage into the socket members i5, I6, etc. The socket members l6 extend substantially along the entire width and length of the house so that the studs it may be engaged there on at desired locations. For example, the dot and dash lines I8 in Fig. 3 indicate two locations. The foundation i3 is also formed with inserts 28 adapted to receive and hold floor beams 26.

The floor 22 of the house (see Fig. 2) is laid on the beams 2i.

Each of the studs ii, iii, iii, etc., is adapted to supportthe siding or other prefabricated material forming the walls of the house. More particularly, the studs I8 are formed with grooves 24 upon the front and back faces thereof adapted to receive hook elements 25 from wall panels or similar members 26. The stud i9 is substantially of T-shape and its outer face i9 is formed with grooves M, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. Thus, the wall panels 26 are also supported thereby.

In addition to the grooves 26 certain of the studs are provided with spring clamps 2i. These spring clamps, preferably are located within recesses formed in the corners of the studs. This may be clearly seen in Fig. 4, for example, in which the stud I? has recesses ii, i'i H and li into which the spring clamps 2'1? are set. Similarly, the studs is are also formed for receiving the spring clamps.

Each ofthe spring clamps comprises a rod 21 secured at the top and bottom ends to the studs, preferably by brackets 38. Pivotally mounted on the rods 2'! there are the body portions 21 of the clamps. These body portions are suitably decorated with ornamental raised and depressed portions, indicated in Figs. 14 and 15. Each of the body portions 2! are formed with tail portions 27 on the opposite side of the rod 21. These tail portions are engaged at spaced intervals by springs 3|. These springs are cast at one of their ends into the studs and extend through openings 32 in the tail portions 21. The springs 3| serve to urge the clamp into closed position.

These spring clamps are on all corner studs, on both exterior and interior sides, on the vertical sides of doors and windows and on baseboard and cornice.

The inside face of the extremities of the body portions 21* of the spring clamps are provided with dowel pins 33 which are adapted to project into perforations 34 formed in the wall panels 26 or similar members. The uppermost panel (indicated by reference numeral 26') is held in position by a U-shaped clamp 35 which is engaged over the edge of the panel and the edge of the spring clamp. With this arrangement it is possible to erect the walls of the house in position by starting at the bottom and working upwards. By clamping the uppermost board 26' of the wall the entire wall construction is held in position. The walls or panels, in addition to being fastened by the pins 33 are also supported by the hook portions 25 thereof ""engaging into the grooves 24 as previously explained.

Now referring to Fig. art will be readily apparent that the outer wall construction maybe-readily taken down since it is composed entirely of the removable parts as explained in the previous paragraphs. Also, the walls forming the various rooms are removable. The particular layout shown on the drawings incorporates windows 36 door, a chimney 39, a side entrance 40 for the The bathroom of the house is indil accessories as house, etc. cated by reference numeral 4 I.

Well as the wall panels may be of any prefabricated type desired.

In Figs. 10, '12 and 13 other types of supports for the wall panels 26 are illustrated. These additional supports are in the form of hook-shaped brackets 43 mounted upon the pillars or other support partsfor the wall panels, and adapted to receive and hold stud elements 44 projecting from the ends of the shingles. With this con struction the house will be sturdy and capable of withstanding storms and other shocks.

The roof of the house is also constructed of prefabricated sections which are placed in position starting at the lowermost edge and working upwards. The top sections are locked into position with a spring clamp as are the wall panels and this clamp is locked with a key. More specifically, the house has a top member 45 from the sides of which the spring clamps 27d depend. These spring clamps are adapted to be locked together by strips 41. Each of the strips 41 is hingedly mounted at one of their ends 4'! to the spring clamp at one side, and extends across to the spring clamp at the other side. A key operated lock 48 is mounted on each of the strips 41 and is adapted to engage and lock the free end of the strip 47! to the spring clamp. The roof of the building is inclined, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 18 of the drawings. A flat roof could be locked in the same manner.

In Fig. 20 the interior form of the building is shown in which spring clamps 2-! are shown extended vertically at certain areas andhorizontally at other areas. These spring clamps are arranged at the windows 36 and the door 31'. Panels 26 are held by the spring clamps. The details of the spring clamps will not be given at this point as it would be a repetition of the description of the corresponding parts in the previous figures.

In Fig. 21 a sectional view is shown wherein it will be noted that the panels 26 have pinned ends 26 to hold, reinforce and strengthen them. Similar reference numerals are used to indicate parts corresponding with similar parts in the previous form of the invention.

In Fig. 15 the dot and dash lines 21 indicate a pivoted position of the spring clamp which permits the wall board 26 to be removed.

The house may be erected on any site by first building the foundation. The vertical studs are then mounted upon the foundation and the exterior and interior wall sections, including the windows, doors, etc., are mounted thereon. The

house is finished by building upwards until the 65" 1. One-half of concrete foundation is formed. 75'

2. Socket members I6 are inserted.

3. Rest of concrete is set.

4. Studs, floor beams, ceiling beams, rafters, ridge-pole clamps, etc., will be positioned.

5. Flooring is laid.

6. Outside walls laid horizontally and firmly in overlapping relation.

7. Doors and windows set in at the same time, above the first layer of horizontal boards.

8. Outside clamps are snapped in place.

9. Inside base-boards, wall panels, cornices are set and clamped. The vertical clamps of doors and windows are snapped in place, then the baseboard clamps, next the horizontal clamps across the top of the walls and finally the corner clamps which are then fastened with U-shaped pieces.

10. Ceilings are laid.

11. Overlapping roof sections are erected toward the top.

12. Ridgepole clamps are snapped into place.

13. Clamps at both ends of ridgepole are locked with key so that only authorized persons may open same for dismounting or repairing the buildunderstood that I donot limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right I is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is: w

1. A means of constructing a prefabricated house and the like, comprising a foundation adapted to removably receive and hold vertical pillars, or studs, a plurality of vertical pillars or studs mounted on said foundation and formed with wall receiving recesses, a plurality of hingedly mounted spring clamps on said pillars or studs and adapted to act as clamps for holding wall-forming elements, and a plurality of wallforming elements rested upon said wall-receiving recesses and held by said spring clamps.

2. A means of constructing a prefabricate house and the like, comprising a foundation adapted to removably receive and hold vertical pillars, or studs, a plurality of vertical pillars or studs mounted on said foundation and formed with wall receiving recesses, a plurality of hingedly mounted spring clamps on said pillars or studs and adapted to act as clamps for holding wall-forming elements, and a plurality of wallforming elements rested upon said wall-receiving recesses and held by said spring clamps, said foundation being of concrete and having imbedded therein socket members adapted to receive complementary parts from portions of the house. 3. A means of constructing a prefabricated house and the like, comprising a foundation adapted to removably receive and hold vertical pillars, or studs, a plurality of vertical pillars or studs mounted on said foundation and formed with wall receiving recesses, a plurality of hingedly mounted spring clamps on said pillars or studs and adapted to act as clamps for holding wall-forming elements, and a plurality of wallforming elements rested upon said wall-receiving recesses and held by said spring clamps, said vertical pillars or studs, being formed with shoulders and hollow corners into which the hingedly mounted spring clamps are arranged.

4. A means of constructing a prefabricated house and the like, comprising a foundation adapted to removably receive and hold vertical pillars or. studs, a plurality of vertical pillars or studs mounted on said foundation and formed with wall-receiving recesses, a plurality of hingedly mounted spring clamps on said pillars or 5 studs and adapted to act as clamps for holding wall-forming elements, and a plurality of wallforming elements rested upon said wall-receiving recesses and held by said spring clamps, said spring clamps comprising stationary rods supl0 ported upon the pillars or studs, body members pivotally mounted on said rods and having tail portions, and springs-acting between the pillars and the tail portions for urging the spring clamps into the closed position.

5. A means of constructing a prefabricated house and the like, comprising a foundation adapted to removably receive and hold vertical pillars or studs, a plurality of vertical pillars or studs mounted on said foundation and formed 20 with wall receiving recesses, a plurality of hingedly mounted spring clamps on said pillars or studs and adapted to act as clamps for holding wall-forming elements, and a plurality of wallforming elements rested upon said wall-receiving recesses and held by said spring clamps, said wallforming elements comprising wall boards.

6. A means of constructing a prefabricated house and the like, comprising a foundation adapted to removably receive and hold vertical pillars or studs, a plurality of vertical pillars or studs mounted on said foundation and formed with wall receiving recesses, a plurality of' hing-' edly mounted spring clamps on said pillars or studs and adapted to act as clamps for holding 35 wall-forming elements, and a plurality of wallforming elements rested upon said wall-receiving recesses and held by said spring clamps, said wallforming elements comprising wall boards, having .receiving recesses and held by said spring clamps,

said wall-forming elements having brackets projected from the ends thereof, and hook members mounted upon said pillars or studs, and adapted to receive and hold said brackets.

8. A means of constructing a prefabricated house and the like, comprising a foundation adapted to removably receive and hold vertical pillars or studs, a plurality of vertical pillars or studs mounted on said foundation and formed with wall-receiving recesses, a plurality of hingedly mounted spring clamps on said pillars or studs and adapted to act as clamps for holding wall-forming elements, and a plurality of wall-forming elements rested upon said wallreceiving recesses and held by said spring clamps, said wall-forming elements having brackets projected from the ends thereof, and hook members mounted upon said pillars or studs, and adapted to receive and hold said brackets, said spring clamps having projecting dowel pins engageable into apertures in the wall-forming elements to assist in holding them in position.

9. A means of constructing a prefabricated house and the like, comprising a foundation adapted to removably receive and hold vertical pillars, or studs, a plurality of vertical pillars or studs mounted on said foundation and formed with wall receiving recesses, a plurality of hingedly mounted spring clamps on said pillars or studs and adapted to act as clamps for holding wall-forming elements, and a plurality of wall-forming elements rested upon said wellreceiving recesses and held by said spring clamps, said wall-forming elements being built from the bottom of the house upwards and overlapping each other, and means for loclring the upper-- most wall-forming elements in position.

10. A means of constructing a prefabricated house and the like, comprising a foundation adapted to removaloly receive and hold vertical pillars, or studs, a plurality of vertical pillars or studs mounted on said foundation and formed with wall receiving 7 recesses, a plurality of hingedly mounted spring clamps on said pillars or studs and adapted to act as clamps for holding wall-forming elements, and a plurality of wall-forming elements rested upon said wallreceiving recesses and held by said spring clamps, said wall-forming elements being built from the bottom of the house upwards and overlapping each other, and means for locking the uppermost wall-forming elements in position, comprising hook elements engageable over the edges of the wall-boards and the edges or the spring clamps.

11. A means of constructing a prefabricated house and the like, comprising a foundation adapted to removably receive and hold vertical pillars'or studs, a plurality of vertical pillars or hingedly mounted spring clamps on said pillars or studs and adapted to act as clamps for holding wall-forming elements, and a plurality of wall-forming elements rested upon said wall-receiving recesses and held by said spring clamps, said wall-forming elements being built from the bottom of the house upwards and. overlapping each other, and means for locking the uppermost wall-forming elements in position, comprising strips plvotally mounted on certain of the spring clamps and carrying locks adapted to lock them to other of said spring clamps.

12. A means of constructing a prefabricated house and the like, comprising a foundation adapted to removably receive and .hold vertical pillars or studs, a plurality of vertical pillars or studs mounted on said foundation and formed with wall-receiving recesses, a plurality of hingedly mounted spring clamps on said pillars or studs and adapted to act as clamps for holding wall-forming elements, and a plurality of wall-forming elements rested upon said wa1lreceiving recesses and held by said spring clamps, said wall forming elements comprising panels.

ADELE BURNS. 

